Chateau Clinet 2015

JAMES SUCKLING: "An immaculate wine with pristine blackberries and dark plums as well as fresh, earthy nuances and dark crushed violets. An upright palate with lightly peppery dark berries and plums. The inflection of cabernet here makes for an impressively powerful wine that still exudes Pomerol’s suave, seductive charm. Chalky, seamless tannins. Super fresh. Try from 2022."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "If you like truffle, you're going to dig this wine. From there, you discover campfire, licorice black cherry, plum, jam and underbrush. On the palate is where the real action takes place. With the perfect balance between density and lift, everything comes together in the decadently textured, silky textured, fruit filled finish."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2015 Château Clinet from this terrific estate is up there with some of the finest vintages out there. A blend of 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it has a concentrated, powerful style not far from the 2005 and offers loads of spiced blackberries and cassis fruits intermixed with notions of lead pencil, tobacco, and a distinct gravelly minerality. Rich, powerful and admirably endowed on the palate, with serious tannins, it's best forgotten for 4-6 years and should keep for two decades or more."

DECANTER: "An elegant, powerful and accomplished wine in 2015, with finely-knitted tannins and dark fruit which is pushed impercetibly upwards from start to finish by the grippy acidity. All the strands are held together, seemingly almost too measured until it has spent a few moments in the glass. Then, the flavours come alive and you have something really special, and long-lasting. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040"

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A blend of 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Cabernet Franc matured in 65% new and 35% one-year-old French oak for 16 months, the 2015 Clinet offers a medium to deep garnet-purple color and slowly, provocatively unfurls in the glass with notes of crushed black cherries, warm black raspberries and red cherry compote plus nuances of bay leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, fenugreek and forest floor and wafts of potpourri and mocha. The palate reveals a sensuous medium-bodied style offset beautifully by very firm, very silky tannins and packed with energetic, multifaceted fruit as well as great tension, finishing long with an arresting spice and floral perfume. A real stunner!"

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, zarter Schwarze-Trüffel-Touch, zarte Kräuterwürze, dunkles Beerenkonfit, noch etwas zurückhaltend. Saftig, rotbeerige Nuancen, präsente Tannine, betont frisch, mineralisch, zitronige Noten im Abgang, wirkt noch sehr unterentwickelt, zeigt aber rassige Anlagen."

WINE SPECTATOR: WINESPECTATOR: “Juicy and very fresh, with a lovely beam of raspberry and cherry compote notes infused with red licorice and floral hints. Certainly ripe, but on the refined side, with the purity of fruit singing over a light tug of apple wood through the lengthy finish. This has dropped a darker, more hedonistic edge since the barrel tasting. Best from 2020 through 2032.2

WEINWISSER: "Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Viel Cassis, feine Rauchnuancen, dezent trockener Ansatz. Im Gaumen mit einer gewissen Süsse aufwartend, das Extrakt hat leicht mehlige Konturen, bleibt blau- bis schwarzbeerig, aromatisches Finale mit mittlerer Intensität."